


Versatile

by absolutelyCancerous (cal1brations)



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 50 Themes, Canon Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-20
Updated: 2012-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-19 02:43:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/568176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cal1brations/pseuds/absolutelyCancerous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Decided to pick up one of those 50 Themes challenge-things. AkuRoku-centric, obviously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Versatile

1\. Nice

The Organization is not a group of "nice" guys; in fact, that's probably not a word people should be caught stating about the men in black coats, unless they'd like that word to be their final. No, the Organization might not be full of "nice" guys, but there's Axel, and, truthfully, he's about as close as it gets-- in Roxas's case, anyway.

  
2.  Tap

The first week, when Roxas has yet to discover the use of his vocal chords, he gets Axel's attention by tapping. Taps to the shoulder, taps to the arm; it's a tiny action, though, one that's eerie enough to make Axel jump out of his goddamn skin every time.

Axel has never been more thankful, he thinks, when Roxas actually uses his words to get his attention-- he's still jumpy when the kid likes to poke at him from behind.  
  
3.  Roses

The scent of roses makes Roxas think of Marluxia, which makes him think more specifically about Marluxia's words, makes him think about nonexistence and empty beings. Roses, generally, make Roxas depressed. He appreciates the smell of smoke much more.

  
4\. Gagged

Sometimes, they get frisky. Sometimes, they just so happen to get frisky in places that frisky behavior is just not tolerated. In these times, (like out in Twilight Town, in the maze of rail stations) Roxas takes it upon himself to make sure Axel doesn't get them caught, not with dirty phrases, not with Roxas's name, and certainly not with moans and groans.

Roxas yanks off his glove with his teeth while his other hand undoes Axel's coat, and stuffs the wad of leather into Axel's mouth. Once gagged and silenced, Roxas takes his opportunity to proceed.

  
5\. Noisy

Axel's very noisy, when in the throes of passion. He doesn't seem to notice it much, but Roxas sure does. The kid tries to keep their lips together, so he can swallow such velvet-sounding groans straight from Axel's lips like only the finest sort of liquor, but not even that can shut Axel up entirely. Roxas thinks it's good for him to be noisy, though, at least sometimes.

It makes him believe maybe, just maybe, they can feel something besides emptiness, like this.  
  
6\. Cat

Axel's a lot like a cat, Roxas thinks. He sleeps like one, at the very least, and not to mention, he seems to groom like one, too. Always brushing back stray gel-slicked locks that happen to get in his face with a swipe of his fingers. It's a little bit cute and a lot bit funny, but Roxas keeps this to himself.  
  
7\. Blunder

Roxas staggers through the dark corridor, back into the Grey Area. He's got road rash between his fucking eyes and blood dripping down his lips, off his chin and onto his coat. Axel, whom had been snoozing no more than a few minutes ago, watches this brave little soldier march his ass right up to Saix, look at him with emotionless, vast sapphire eyes and explain he failed, a blunder, that he let the target get away due to his own shortcomings.

That night, Axel gives the kid a potion wordlessly, rubs the kid's back as he rests against him, feeling as hollow and worthless as ever.

  
8\. Cough

Axel has a nasty-sounding cough, Roxas notices. It's loud and hacking, like he's got something stuck in his throat, but it never seems to faze him; he just spits if he needs to and casually continues on. When Roxas finally asks about it, Axel smiles this witty little smirk, and shrugs. "My Somebody liked smoking," he says, "didn't know how bad it was for him, though."  
  
9\. Tender

Axel is always tender when it comes to Roxas; gentle touches, loving kisses, tentative hands that run along bare flesh. Roxas thinks it's silly, how careful Axel is with him--even when they're rough-housing. Axel just grins every time the kid brings it up, says, "You're too cute to even think about hurting," before he goes back to planting wet little kisses everywhere he can fit them.  
  
10\. Kickass

"Wow!" Roxas shouts, obviously amazed when Axel can clear four Heartless with a snap of his fingers, send them blazing in a large ring of fire that disappears as quickly as it rises. "That was kickass!"

Axel frowns at him, cocking an eyebrow in inquiry. "Where did you hear that word?"

Roxas bites his lip, gives a crooked smile. "Demyx?"

Axel tells him why it's best not to go around parroting the idiotic things Demyx chirps around the castle.  
  
11\. Serious

Roxas is usually always serious; it's not that he doesn't like to loosen up; it’s just how he is. Axel, however, is only serious in times of explanations and gruesome matters, giving instructions and advice. Even then, he can't usually keep a smile from turning his lips up at the corners, from reaching emerald eyes with a certain sort of glow.  
  
12\. Neglect

Axel is never neglectful to Roxas; he always gets the kid what he needs. Information, food, a sense of comfort, he's the go-to guy. Axel has everything, it seems to Roxas, and that's wonderful, because it's great only needing one person for all that, isn't it?  
  
13\. Sway(ing)

Roxas takes a critical hit to the torso, the head butt of a Heartless right into his gut. He makes some sort of face, pained maybe, but definitely one of uncertainty as he sways, side to side. Axel watches from his own corner of Heartless, warding them off with metal and flames as fast as he can. He doesn't manage to catch Roxas before his swaying turns to falling, out cold on the pavement.  
  
14\. Comedian

Axel is not a comedian.  
  
15\. Shadow boxing 

Roxas likes shadow boxing, he thinks it's helpful. His Keyblade isn't quite a long-range weapon, and he sometimes ends up getting a little up close and personal with his targets. He practices shadow boxing, once Axel tells him what it is, as best he can before missions, so there's something else to fight with when Keyblades aren't enough.  
  
16\. Incredible

Axel is incredible, Roxas thinks, when he's most vulnerable. Which, okay, is usually in the shower, with Roxas himself. But it's not for any sexual thing, so much as it's just fascinating, how open Axel's body language is, how casual and cool he is with most anything-- both apply to when he's got his clothes on, too.  
  
17\. Mundane

Their days are mostly mundane, assignments in the morning, missions the rest of the day, ice creams in the evening. Axel, however, knows how to entice Roxas, to keep the kid from bashing his brains out against stark-white walls, and that's with a little kissing and lube.  
  
18\. Guide

Axel is Roxas's guide, his mentor. He shows the kid around, tells him rules, and tells him answers to any and all inquiries. He _likes_ his job, he thinks its great-- this is his best friend, and spending so much time with him couldn't possibly be better.

Axel loves what he does.  
  
19\. Submerge

Roxas likes to submerge himself in the bath, likes to duck down under the waters' surface and soak. Likes to look up from under the water, and wonder why he feels so at home like this, suspended in nothing. He thinks it's because there's nothing inside him from before, no memories to hold him down to much of anywhere, nothing to keep him anchored.

Roxas breaks only when he needs to gasp for air, before he goes back under to think some more.  
  
20\. Sidekick

Roxas doesn't know what a sidekick is, but he knows that when Xigbar tells Axel, "the kid's basically your own little mutt; it's surprising how loyal he is to you," it make Axel seethe and tell you to go to your room.

It does not surprise you when you hear Demyx shouting, "Axel no! You're lighting the sofa on fire!" over Xigbar's cackling.  
  
21\. Hips

Axel's hips are one of Roxas's favorite things. He likes being between bare, silky pale legs, sapphire eyes looking down the delicious length of Axel's torso and stop at his wonderful hips. Smooth, thin, a little bony, too, but they fit right in Roxas's mouth, make it easy for him to leave purple marks with his teeth and tongue, and Roxas likes the noises Axel makes when he does such.  
  
22\. Collared

Axel goes on an in-cognito mission one morning. He comes home wearing his cloak (obviously) and later, when you undress him, try to run your hands along his nude, warm chest, he's still got his "civilian" clothes on, a white collared dress shirt that's so clean, it makes Axel seem like he's got a little more color than usual.

You smile, nuzzle your face into the polyester and instead plop yourself right in Axel's lap, finding the scent of dry cleaning and Axel musk too enjoyable to move away from.  
  
23\. Wallet

Nobodies don't carry wallets, because their only function would be to hold money. No I.D.'s, no pictures, nothing. Munny is stuffed into cloak pockets, carelessly and aimlessly when it's received. No one seems to care.  
  
24\. Roll

Roxas doesn't like being under Axel _all_ the time; it makes him feel a little too routine, a little too trapped. Instead, when Axel seems to be everything on and around him, Roxas manages to hook his legs around the other, swing them to the side to roll, so that he can pin _Axel_ to the bed, all snarky grins and breathless laughter as they proceed in their evenings.  
  
25\. Hands

Axel is obsessed with Roxas's hands. They're so small compared to his own; not even Roxas's thumbs can match up with his-- hell, Axel's palm as a whole is larger than Roxas's by a good half-inch. Nonetheless, Axel finds immense joy in kissing at Roxas's hands (he like the way it makes the kid's cheek go pink) and pleasure in the few times Roxas has been calm enough to allow Axel to take off the kid's gloves with his teeth.  
  
26\. Jacket

Roxas comes home late from the Land of Dragons, his boots sloshing with snow as he steps into the Grey Area, shivering like only the most miserable of lackeys. Saix looks at you, definitely pissed that snow is dripping off the kid and getting the floor wet, but you're already up on your feet, pulling Roxas along by the hand and silently smiling as you imagine Saix glowering at the trail of ice and water behind him.

When you take the kid to his room, you casually start undoing your cloak, to swap his out for yours, but Roxas just wraps his arms around your exposed middle, nuzzles his freezing nose and cheeks against your chest with a happy sigh.

"Don't need a jacket," he says, pressing a freezing ear to you, "when I've got a space-heater."  
  
27\. Global warfare

The fights between them are like global warfare, as rare as they do occur. It's Roxas on one side, throwing harsh words and angry yells, while Axel sits on his own side,  playing more offense than defense, really. It's not worth his time, nor Roxas's, to fight over such trivial things as the kid likes to do.  
  
28\. Crazy

Axel is, almost literally, crazy for Roxas. He does lots of stupid things for the kid, things he shouldn't do and probably wouldn't, if it was anyone else but the snarky blond. He tells him special things, tells him lies to protect him, and guides him.

Commits suicide for him.  
  
29\. Indulgent

"It's okay to be _indulgent_ , Rox," Axel purrs, nuzzling into the warmth of Roxas's neck as the kid stiffens up, ticklish, and sighs. Axel's mind is currently swimming in booze, from what Roxas can tell from the scent of his warm, rum-scented breath. Somehow, booze does something to make the redhead more appealing, and Roxas quickly finds himself licking at rum-tainted lips all too eagerly.  
  
30\. Party

Roxas is sent on a recon mission that involves slinking into a party.

He comes home much later than Axel had anticipated, and it comes as a surprise as Axel awakes to hesitant tapping on his door, looks out into the dimly-lit hall to see a battered little Roxas, huffing his bangs out of his eyes.

"I hate parties."

Axel pulls him inside with laughter and peppers apologetic kisses to his face.  
  
31\. Cry

Every single time, without fail, when Axel's buried inside Roxas, when it's impossible to tell who begins here and end there, it's unreal when he feels the sensation. Trembles of the shoulders, Roxas's fingers digging deep against his back to leave hasty, needy bruises, and the wetness on the kid's face as he slams his head into the crook of Axel's neck. Tears.

"Don't cry," he pleas, breathless and uncharacteristically weak as he presses kisses to Roxas in earnest. But the blond only shakes his head, hangs on tighter, weeps louder, openly.

Axel knows it's only because of the "feeling" of being so overwhelmed.  
  
32\. Pound of flesh

Axel gets assigned dinner duty, and since Roxas finished his mission report, he decides to tag along. Plops on the counter while Axel sets to getting out the raw meat he's been (conned) assigned into making into an actual meal.

"What is that?" Roxas croaks, leaning over the raw meat with interest.

Axel arches a brow, smiles just a bit. "...The chicken?"

"That doesn't look like a chicken. It looks like... a pound of flesh of... something."

Axel has to hold onto the counter as he laughs.  
  
33\. Punch

Roxas gets pretty violent when he's angry enough. Venomous words, disgusted glowers; Axel handles it all fairly well, simply lets the kid kick and scream until he's either feeling better about the situation or feeling too tired to go on with his tantrum.

There are sometimes, though, that when Roxas gets angry enough to throw a punch or five, that Axel finds it just a tad bit difficult to swallow the pain from the action, remember he hasn't got a heart to feel betrayed with, and wait for Roxas to calm.  
  
34\. Absorb

Roxas absorbs knowledge painfully fast; it's hard for Axel to keep up sometimes. In specific, when Roxas asks questions that Axel finds himself making up blatant lies for, because the truth is too much of a hassle, or something Roxas shouldn't have to burden himself with.

Axel fears the day when Roxas can understand why Axel lies to him.  
  
35\. Stiff

Axel is always stiff in the morning, cracking his neck, back, wrists, knuckles—any and everything he can to make himself feel comfortable. The first time Roxas observes such a morning ritual, however, he promptly starts to hyperventilate and yell about broken bones and the likes while slapping Axel like a shamed dog to get him to stop.

Axel remembers that explaining the method behind cracking one’s joints was definitely one of the more humorous discussions between them.  
  
36\. Contract

There’s an unspoken contract, that Axel will guide this mindless kid around, make sure he doesn’t learn, doesn’t see, doesn’t do anything but work, and work solely for the Organization and their goals—for hearts.

Axel does not remember signing him name to this.  
  
37\. Stumbling

Axel’s not doing anything, just lounging with his gangly legs kicked over the end of one of the sofas, arm slung over his eyes as he snoozes on and off, waiting for Roxas to arrive home from his mission. The kid didn’t show up for ice cream, after all.

Said blond comes stumbling through the dark portal in the corner, paler than anything and eyes clouded, hazy. He looks downright sick, Axel thinks, until Roxas mumbles about pain and soreness, and then reveals the poison barb from some type of Heartless or another sticking out of his neck.  
  
38\. Encounter

Each evening encounter is something to look forward to, something to smile about, something to remember as they drag their feet around each day, working and fighting; being nothing is tiring.

But each night, when they’re alone, when it’s private kisses and touches and words, it’s okay to feel something—though Axel always brushes it off and Roxas has learned better than to speak of feelings. Such encounters, Axel likes to think, makes them both a little more human than the others.  
  
39\. Temple

Roxas’s body is like a temple; one does not simply waltz inside as if they own the place. Proper homage, preparation and worship is needed, be it in the form of alluring words, or perhaps in the forms of kisses and affectionate cuddling.  
  
40\. Patio

Axel calls it a “patio”. Roxas tells him it’s a “balcony”.

“You know, like what princesses stand on?” He tries to define to you, eyebrows screwed up in silent inquiry of your knowledge.

You kiss him through the laughter.  
  
41\. Candlelight

Roxas finds candlelight too eerie to be sensual.

“It’s like the light is too shy to ask for attention,” he says, sitting up in your lap, his chin resting on your shoulder as he stares at the candles you previously lit. You simply kiss him as he watches the candles burn.

  
42\. Stripes

Stripes are Axel’s favorite thing to scribble on mission reports he decides to blow off.  
  
43\. Foul

Roxas doesn’t have a tendency for acting foul, but on the seldom occasions he happens to be such, and with you, you know better than to rile him up. You simply let him be, let him seethe by himself or yell at you, let him do whatever makes him feel better faster.  
  
44\. Hurdle

You’re on a mission with him, his third or fourth week. He’s fast at running, that’s for sure, but not as fast at comprehending obstacles in his way as he sprints, slinging a Keyblade in-tow.

There’s a knocked over planter, one you easily tackle as a simple hurdle, and throw your leg over, jumping without a hitch. Roxas, however, with his shorter legs and his slower cognitive process, doesn’t register the planter, and instead topples face-first into the concrete on the other side of it.

You make sure to give him potion after potion until the bleeding of his face and the road rash on his forehead ceases.  
  
45\. Chances

You never thought your chances with Axel would have resulted in this… whatever it’s called when Nobodies do the things you both do. It’s like it was _planned_ , like you were _destined_ to crawl under his sheets each night (when he’s not crawling under yours) and latch onto him, smile and feel… something.

Chances are, you don’t really feel anything. It’s nice to pretend, though.  
  
46\. Forgotten

Axel never wants to be forgotten.

Roxas promises, breathy, soft, meaningfully against his ear, when they’re moving against each other, when Axel is moaning into his shoulder, that he won’t ever forget him— _never_ could.  
  
47\. Unforgivable

It wasn’t what friends do. Friends don’t keep secrets.

“You’re my _best_ friend,” is what he said. Not an answer, but close enough. Not a lie, but unforgivable enough.

You had to leave.  
  
48\. Sinking

It was a sinking feeling, those first steps away from The Castle That Never Was. It was almost like drowning when you saw Axel waiting for you, arms crossed, indifferent. You weren’t friends anymore, you were strangers.

“You’re mind’s made up?”

More like you wanted to throw up.  
  
49\. Deal

Roxas was the only one who could deal with you, that _would_ deal with you. That adored you and followed you and listened to you. That thought you knew everything and that you were better than what the Organization made you into.

You couldn’t believe that you let him go.  
  
50\. Friendship

Could your suicide salvage your friendship?


End file.
